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Show Vi Vil leat if ic be not in the Depth of Winter ; they have fill’d it'with Wine. Vi Some makeit for whenthis kind of Wine is emptied it be- with Cuttings mingled with Grapes only, or comes yellow in moft Countries; but when this happens it is eafily remedied, either by ftirring it with a Stick of Hazel cleft into four, which is put in at the Bung-hole, or in fhaking briskly the Puncheon, which theyleave fometimes on the Bung, to the End that the Lee that deftends thither, and afterwards is mixed again when the Cask is turned up, will take away the Yellownefs. This fecond Method feems to be the beft ; with whole Grapes ; but I do not approve of this Manner, for all the Wine whichjs put upon thefe Rapes always taftes of the Grapeftone ; and for this Reafonit is better to take it away, and not to leave any thing but the Grape, or at leaft to take awaythe Stalk of the Grape. The Troughs being opened, they lay upon the Bottom a Bed of Cuttings, and after that a Bed of Grapes, and this theydo ’till the Troughs are almoft full, but it muft always be it is alfo done in a great deal lefs Time; for done in fuch manner, that there muft be a for befides, that the Wine does not take Wind, one is not obliged to unbung and bung again every Cask, for they may be fill’d up with a {mall Fin Funnel. For fome Years laft paft they have made Rapes of white Wines, from which they do not reap any great Advantage: They make ufe of them to mix with the coarfe, harfh, red Wines, and that have but little of the Quality. In the mean time this fits the meaner Sort of People, who have not a very nice Tafte, in that it pleafes their Palates, and is fold cheap. Layer of Cuttings upon each Bottom, or at each Head, to the End that the Wine may be the better drawn off by the means of a Tap, and after they have bored the Casks, theyfill them with Wine. Thirdly, They make a Rape of Cuttings only, without any Mixture of Grapes, The two firft Sorts of Rapes are {carcely fpent but in che Country, I mean, in this Vineyard Plot. Nothing is more effectually ufeful in a Family, or that one may make ufe of for put- It will not be to any Purpofe to name the ting off Low-Wines, or the Bottoms, and to give Colour and Strength to the Wines that want them, as I havefaid in the preceding Article ; but none but the beft Grapes ought to be ufed for this Purpofe, fuch asthe Samoi= vreau, rather the Lard or fourchis than the tender, the Auvernat, teint or red, little of the large black, or of the teint ; for if thefe two laft have not Strength, they have much lefs of over, they fend that Wine they have made in the Colour, and render the Wine marrowy or one leffer Vintage, to be added to that of fubftantial. Thefe Rapes muft be well boil’d ; and three another that is much better, and fo a Merchant thinks that all the Wine he buys is from or four Months after this has been done, that the fame Place, whenit is not. is to fay, after the Winter, they muft be I do not approve of this Praétice of the clear’d or purify’d: Forty or fifty Pints may Citizens ; for a Merchant who would have be drawn out of a Puncheon, and be put imWine of one certain Place, will not be pre- mediately into Wine that has Jefs Colour, but par’d to manage that which he fhall have from is very near of the fame Strength; for the another, becaufe thofe different Wines will Rape ought not to be too foon weaken’d, nor not produce the fame Effects, with the Ma- the Wine too often mix’d with it. nagement he fhall ufé to them, and no Perfon The Wine being once upon the Stillings, ought not to be remov’d: This is the Reafon ought to be deceivd. Whenthe Vintage, either of red Wines or why the Casks in which it is to be put, be of white Wines, is finifh’d, the Prefs ought to Wood that is well chofen and barred, having be taken Care of, that the Rats don’t gnaw a double Hair Cloth at each End. This Precaution muft be ufed at the Time the Screw of it. It fhould be rubb’d with Garlick, the Smell of which thofe Animals when they are fold, or before they are recan’t endure ; it is alfo good to cover it with movd from the Place where they are made, fome old Casks, to hinder any Filth from or in putting them into Vaults: For thete falling on the Screw, which can’t be kept too Rapes of Cuttings are made rather to be conclean, fum’d in other Countries than in our They make ufe of this at P Ci wing Rapes, or New Wines. Places, to put off the bad {mall Wi would never fell but for thefe Rapes have unhappily, for a confiderable out this I know not what the P: Time, been in ufe in thefe Vineyard Plots, do with their wretched, {mall, and therefore I fhall give fome Account of which their Vineyards of the Frer them. produces them. They make here three Sorts of Rapes in This Wine is fo pitiful, efpeciallyi Vineyards. cold, moift Years, that it is not The one is made of ftoned Grapes: When itfelf, and is fpoil’d before ir is vended. they have puta third or half into a Puncheon The Cold takes fromit that little Quanity . s+. fo that they tread them down, either before or after that it has, and the Heat turns it; {0 ti Places of this Plot of Vineyards, which produce the beft white Wines; for the Merchants don’t take the Pains to make a Diftinction between the Wines which have much of the Quality, from others that have lefs ; befides, they are manytimes deceived, for fome Citizens, who have a great many Houfes of Wines in different Places, after the Vintage is ever) VI Soils and Situations; which, evety thing is contrary to it; fo that one may fay the beft of thefe Wines are fuch as have neither goodor bad Quality. Therefore one would chufe to pull up the greateft Part of the Vineyards that are for upon this the whole Afair greatly depends. The bett Soil for a Vineyard in England, is fuch whofe Surface is a light, fandy Loam, and not above a Foot deep above the Gravel or Chalk, either of which Bottoms are equally about Paris, becaufe they produce fuch poor Wine, that to make them pafs, there is an goodfor Vines: But if the Soil is deep, or the abfolute Neceffity to have Recourfe to thefe Bottom either Clay or a ftrong Loam, it is by no means proper for this Purpofe; for Rapes. Of Vineyards in England. altho’ the Vines may fhoot vigoroufly, and produce a great Quantity of Grapes, yet thefe will belater ripe, fuller of Moifture, and fo There have of late Years been but very few Vineyards in England, tho’ they were formerly very common, as may be gather’dfrom the feveral Places in divers Parts of England, which yet retain that Name; as alfo from antient Records, which teftify the Quantities of Ground which were allotted for Vineyards, if not rightly chofen, there will belittle Hopes of Succefs 5 confequently their Juice not mature nor well digefted, but will abound with Crudity, which in Fermenting will render the Wine four and ill-tafted ; which is the common Complaint of thofe who have made Winein fl Nor is a very rich, light, deep Soil, fuch to Abbeys and Monafteries for Wine for the as 1scommonly found near Lozdon, properfor Ufe of the Inhabitants: But as to the Quality this Purpofe, becaufe the Roots of thefe of the Wines which were then produc’d in will be inticed down too deep to receive the England, weare at prefent ignorant ; and how thefe Vineyards were rooted up, and became fo generally neglected, we have no very good Accountsleft. Whatever might be the Caufe of this total Neglect in cultivating Vines in England, I won’t pretend to determine; but fuch was the Prejudice moft People conceiv’d toany Attempts of producing Wine in England, that, for fome Ages paft, every Trial of that kind has been ridiculed by the Generality of People ; and at this Day very few Perfons will Influences of Sun and Air, Fruit will be render’d lefs valuable, and be later ripe, which is of ill Confequence to thefe Fruits, which are known to imbibe a great Share of their Nourifhment from the Air, which if replete with Moifture (as is commonly the Cafe in Autumn), mutt neceffaril contribute greatly to render the Juices lefS perfect: Therefore great Care fhould be had to the Nature of the Soil upon which they are planted. believe it poffible to beeffected. Indeed if we judge only by the Succefs of _ fome modern Effays made near London, where {mall Vineyards have beenplanted a few Years paft, there would be no great Incouragement to begin a Work ofthis kind, becaufe the Produce of very few of thefe Vineyards has been fo kindly as were to be with’d: But how- ever this fhould not deter others from makeing farther Trials, efpecially when they con- fider the many Difadvantages which moft or all of thefe Plantations are attended with: For firft, there is fearce one of them plac’d upon a proper Soil and Situation for this Purpofe ; and fecondly, there is not one which is rightly planted and managed, as I fhall prefently fhew : And how can we expect Succefs from Vineyards under thefe Difadvantages, when even 7 or Jtaly they would fucceed little ter, if their Management were not directed ith more Judgment? I fhall therefore humoffer my Opinion, which is founded upon I have feen made, and from the s which I have receiv’d fromfeveral us Perfons abroad, who cultivate Vine- ls for their own Ufe and that oftheir nds, and who have been very exact in ob- ing the feveral Methods in Practice amongft nerons of thofe Countries ; from whence that the Prejudice which moft inft a Projeét ofthis kind, er be remov’d, or at leaft fufpended, ials have been judicioufly made of this at Thing to be confiyards is, the Choice of and hereby will take in much crude Nourifhment, whereby the The next Thing neceffary to be confider’d is, the Situation of the Place ; which, if poffible, fhould be on the North Side of a River, upon an Elevation inclining to the South, with a {mall gradual Defcent, that the Moifture may the better drain off; but if the Ground flopes too much, itis by no means properfor this Purpofe: but if at a Diftance from this Place, there are larger Hills which defend ir from the North and North-Weft Winds, it will be of great Service, becaufe hereby the Sun’s Rays will be reflected with a greater Force, andthe cold Winds being kept off, will render the Situation very warm. Add to this, a chalky Surface (which if thofe Hills do abound with, as there are manySituations in England which do), it will ftill add to the Heat of the Place by reflecting a greater Quantity of the Sun’s Rays. The Country about this fhould be open and ully ; for if ic be much planted, or low and boggy, the Air will conttantly be fill’d with moilt Particles, occafion’d by the plentiful Perfpiration of the or the Exhalations from tl ining Marfhes, whereby the Fruit will be greatly prejudic’d (as was before obferv’d). Thefe Vineyards fhould always be open to the Haj, that the Morning Sun may come on ’em to dryoff the Moifture of the Night early, which by lying, too long upon the Vines, does greatly retard the Ripening of their Fruit, and renders it crudeand ill-tafte And fince the Fruit of Vines are rarely ever injur’d by Lajfferly Winds, fo there will be no Reafon to apprehend any Danger fromfuch 9 F a Situa- |
